As Scott Adams has taught us - beginning a sentence with "So" is a tell for cognitive dissonance.
It means that you're imputing something to your opponent that you just made up in your mind.
In this instance, "So are you saying that Russia does not engage in propaganda?" is addressing an issue which I never raised - Russian propaganda.
The most used form of the "so" tell is "So you are saying...".
another pro tip: don't take the advice of Scott Adams on women and relationships.
Who is Scott Adams?
In any event, beginning a sentence with “So” has been around for decades, at least (I’m in my 70s, and I’ve heard it ever since I was a little kid). Maybe it’s just a colloquialism that has become so common that it isn’t even noticeable.
Maybe it’s like something that is so common that no one cares about it, except for the handful who do.
As Scott Adams has taught us - beginning a sentence with “So” is a tell for cognitive dissonance. It means that you’re imputing something to your opponent that you just made up in your mind.
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So for the word ‘so’ substitute the word ‘therefore’. Feel better now, Mr. Pedant? Whoever “Scott Adams” is sucks raw rotten eggs.